01/29/2017

Pendleton Blankets

This here blanket started me on a path I wasn't even lookin' for. Jane wanted to get a blanket that looked like this poncho I bought

in Mexico back in the '70s. Y'all have seen it. It's my favorite poncho, but a little the worse for wear. She probably thought she'd be able to swap it out without me knowin'. Heh. For reference, it's over there to the right. I'd know.

Now thanks to this birthday present I've become a Pendleton snob 100%. Y'all can read about the company's history here. I didn't even know I liked wool blankets until I got this one. I like everything about this dang thing and it's the only blanket I'd even consider sleeping under. Sometimes I even travel with it. As you already know, Raven Jake is a thrifty guy, but price point per quality is good too - Pendleton is expensive, but the quality of its blankets is superior (Can't comment on the clothes, I don't have any). They're soft, not scratchy, they breathe and they maintain the perfect temperature - not too hot, not too cold. Looks sharp. What's more, they're made in America.

I had thought that this blanket pattern was called Jicarilla after New Mexico's Jicarilla Apache Nation, but it ain't, and what's more they don't even make this style anymore, whatever it's called. What's even worse than that was that after 10 years the edge binding on it was so old and ratty it looked like a piece of lace. Does this mean Raven Jake had to give up his favorite blanket? Hell no.

At this point, Pendleton Woolen Mills Customer Service rep Christian Mattson came to my rescue. Down here in SoCal, I set to with a seam ripper and got all the moth chow off my blanket and took it to the cleaners. Packed it up in a UPS box and sent it off to the wilds of Oregon. Couple months later, blanket comes back lookin' great and you can bet I'll get another 10 years out of it at least.

In the meantime, I couldn't exactly go without having a Pendleton blanket, so Jane sprung for another blanket of my choice and the one I picked was Badlands. Comes in a queen size and a certain amount of the proceeds goes to support the National Parks. Win-win. Now I ain't on the Pendleton payroll, but I'm a big fan and I also have to give a shout out to Christian and the team for making a satisfied customer even more satisfied. Pendleton supports the National Parks and the American Indian College Fund, a couple of causes I am in full agreement with and I try to vote with my wallet when I can. So if you're wonderin' what to get your favorite hard-to-please desert rat, this ain't a bad way to go.

Update: Karen Berry, Pendleton's social media maven, corrected me on the identity of my blanket. It's a Peñasco, named after a small town near Taos, New Mexico. Thanks. Karen!